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Tips for Using Paid Advertising

Quite a few business out there can't survive without some type
of advertising and/or brand recognition, so advertising your
business is one of the most important aspects in running certain
types of business. It's also one of the most frequently asked
questions for "how to". This article is especially important for
direct sales reps and those with company websites that need to
make themselves "stand out" among hundreds of others that are
selling similar products.

So why should you advertise your business? For one or more of
the following reasons:

To Gain Exposure/Brand Recognition

This would apply to those who may have a unique product or
service which consumers and clients may not know exists. For
example, a special tool that solves a problem for a certain group
of people - they won't know the product exists unless you
advertise.

Gain Immediate Sales

Many forms of advertising may gain you immediate sales. This
is ideal for most, but it's also important to realize sometimes
your ads may be working even though you don't see sales at the
time the ad runs.

Announce new product/service

If you are an established business and expanded within your
market, paid ads can announce your new product or service which
those who know of your current business may not know about
yet.

Now that you know WHY you should advertise, let's look at the
TYPES of paid advertising there is:

Banner and Button Ads

These are graphics, normally either 468x60 in size for
banners, and 125x125 or 150x150 for button ads. Some advertisers
offer a variety of other sizes. Graphic ads generally have a
lower conversion rate than text ads, although do well for brand
recognition and gaining exposure.

Ezine Ads

Most ezine owners allow only 4-5 line ad with a link in
"sponsor" spaces, and vary for solo ads. Be sure to choose only
highly targeted ezines to run your ads in. For example, you
wouldn't want to run a business opportunity ad in an ezine for
recipes. If you sold some type of food, an ezine about recipes
would be perfect to run an ad with.

Text Ads/Featured Ads

Many of those who offer advertising also offer some type of
home page ad or a featured space on specific pages. Again make
sure the website is pulling in the traffic you are looking
for.

Now that you know what type of ads there are, here are a few
tips to make sure you are making the most of your advertising
dollars:

1. TRACK YOUR ADS!

If you don't know where your visitors are coming from, how can
you be sure where you are advertising is working? If you don't
have accurate stats for your website I recommend grabbing a free
tracker from AddFreeStats ( http://www.addfreestats.com )

2. Repeat ads

Run your ads in the same place at least twice, if not three or
four, before you make a decision as to if this is a good place to
advertise or not. Not only will you pick up more brand exposure,
but you will be able to make sure the first time was not an "off"
time to advertise (or just an abnormally "good" time). Also try
different advertising options within the website to see what
works best.

3. Read guidelines

Many advertisers have a list of guidelines. Be sure to read
through them, and follow each guideline. Paying for an ad where
your website isn't allowed is not only a waist of time for the
advertiser, but for you as well. Here is an example of an
advertiser's guidelines:
http://www.momsmarketonline.com/guidelines.html

About the author: Kara Kelso is a work at home mom of two, and
the co-owner of Direct Sales Helpers, which is dedicated to
helping mothers succeed in direct sales. For more information,
visit: http://www.DirectSalesHelpers.com

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